The Art of Persuasion
by littlestkitten
Summary: Ritsuka decides to take an art class from Soubi. He soon regrets it. Soubi/Ritsuka


Title: The Art of Persuasion

Author: Littlestkitten (saratu on lj)

Fandom: Loveless

Pairing: Soubi/Ritsuka

Rating: PG

Word Count: 834

Notes: Written for seizansha for the prompt of Soubi being a professor at Ritsuka's college. I'm feeling a little meh about the ending but hopefully it turned out all right.

He didn't know what had possessed him to sign up for the class. It wasn't like he was any good at art, or that he didn't see Soubi enough in his everyday life. It was just that he needed an elective and everybody always said art was an easy one to take. It had fit into his schedule perfectly and he'd figured, why not? If only he'd known how much he would end up regretting that decision.

Soubi was the most demanding teacher he'd ever had in his entire academic career. Nothing was good enough for him. His brushstrokes were too short, or when they weren't, they were too broad. Or he'd mixed his paint wrong (and why did all the other students get to use pre-mixed paints?). He hadn't expected Soubi to give him preferential treatment (no matter what Kio had said about the boons of having a lover as a teacher) but he had expected to at least not be treated _worse_ than the other students.

This could not continue. He had a near perfect GPA and he was not going to let it drop just because Soubi seemed to suddenly be out to get him. He would never command Soubi to give him a good grade, but he was not above commanding him to treat him fair.

Ritsuka had chosen to live in the dorms but had been given a key to Soubi's apartment with the assurance that he was welcome any time. He headed that way after class with a plan in mind to get fairer treatment. Or at least to get an explanation on why he was being picked on. If it was because he 'looked cute' when upset, or something similar, he was not going to be happy.

He fumbled with his keys before bursting into the apartment with a look fit to kill. There was the current bane of his existence, sitting calmly at the table and concentrating deeply on an object blocked from Ritsuka's view. Soubi didn't bother to greet his sacrifice even after his loud entry. Eventually Ritsuka got fed up and cleared his throat pointedly. When that didn't get the hoped for response he dropped his bag loudly on the floor.

"Ah, Ritsuka," Soubi finally deigned to acknowledge him. "You shouldn't treat your bag so harshly. Your art kit might break."

"Argh!" Ritsuka burst out. "Why do you have to be so annoying? Are you trying to make my life hell?"

Soubi looked up at Ritsuka for the first time since he'd entered. His expression was almost comically confused and Ritsuka would have been tempted to laugh if he hadn't been so angry. Soubi blinked once before looking around the room as if to check if there was someone else Ritsuka could be talking to.

"What do you mean?"

Ritsuka only glared more before stomping out of the room. A few loud noises could be heard before he returned. A stack of papers was held in his hands and they seemed to be in danger of being ripped every second that he continued to hold them. Soubi jumped up from where he was sitting to rescue them. He almost reverently smoothed them out where they had been crumpled before looking at Ritsuka reproachfully.

"This!" Ritsuka almost shouted. "This is what I mean."

"If Ritsuka doesn't like painting then he shouldn't have taken art."

"And if you can't treat your students fairly then you shouldn't teach!"

Soubi seemed even more confused by this and cocked his head to the side as if a different view would give him a better understanding of what Ritsuka was trying to say. The attempt didn't seem to help any and they spent a few moments simply staring (or glaring in Ritsuka's case) at each other. Ritsuka finally snatched the assignments away and pointed at the sub-par grades he'd gotten on them.

"Is that what this is about?" If anything, Ritsuka seemed to get angrier at that comment. Soubi frowned at the grades before sighing. "It's simply that I want you to do well. I don't care if the other students understand art or realize their potential. But I wanted to motivate you to do your best."

"Oh," Ritsuka murmured before looking away. He felt a little guilty now about all the mean thoughts he'd been thinking about Soubi. Trust the man to do something so infuriating and only have Ritsuka's best interests in mind. He still wasn't happy about the near failing grade he was getting though. He had worked so hard too. He was startled by Soubi clapping his hands together and smiling widely.

"But Ritsuka shouldn't worry about getting a bad grade. After all, when you're sleeping with your professor, you never have to worry about failing!"

A low growling sound was briefly heard before Ritsuka launched his attack. His shrieks could be heard from across the street and the neighbors were once again left wondering what sort of weird animal that eccentric art professor owned.


End file.
